# Esoterica - Tilbury



## Wiseguy1982 (Nov 17, 2009)

This was another lovely gift from Freestoke._

A harmonious blend of Golden and Dark Virginias with small portions of Burley and air-cured leaf. Matured by a special process over 100 years old, producing a unique natural aroma and piquant flavor._

The tin aroma is very unique, very pungent, a new smell to me in the pipe realm.

The tobacco is very dark, almost black and has an oily sheen to it, very enticing, almost like maduro.

The moisture content seems a tad high, but it packed well, lit well and burned great, so I think it was fine.

Upon lighting, I was greeted with a very thick and creamy tobacco flavor. Almost a "no nonsense" flavor.

This blend, and any other like it, is new to me, so forgive my amateur comparisons, but;

Throughout the bowl this made me visualize something along the lines of PA at a "wine stage" where the blender took the tobacco, distilled it, let it mature and eventually it came into a "cognac stage". I hope that makes sense. It seems to me that it is a one dimensional tobacco, in which this case, that's just fine. I was not able to pick up any particular "notes", but this was my first bowl.

This tobacco did have a nice N content, and left me a slightly bit fuzzy at first. I like that. The aftertaste is very soft. Lately, some tobaccos have left a very strong aftertaste in the mouth for me.

This is definitely something that, for me at least, should be smoked after a rich dinner, as it is extremely deep in character. With that said, I would gladly like to have some on hand at any time.

_I wish I were able to drink alcohol because a nice brandy would go well with this I think._​


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## RJpuffs (Jan 27, 2008)

Good review! I like Tilbury, a lot. Its one of those blends that I liked from the first bowl.

One thing I've noticed is that age does THIS one good. The first tin I cracked after a year of age. The current one I'm going through is part of a monster bag that Hannibal hit me with (the rest is jarred) - and is "young". Big difference in the taste. A year put a major upgrade to the flavor, so I can only imagine what this stuff will be like when I'm 90 ... uhh, 50 then.

The aged one - got the rich VA and burley overtones, with Stonehaven ghosts flitting through. Unmistakable, there is stoney mixed in (probably the burley content). The young one, no stonehaven flavor - just a premium VA. This stuff burns really well, and as its a loose cut it needs a good filling technique (with flakes, I just fold and jam them into the bowl).

Good stuff, by any measure, young or old! A must-cellar blend, well worth the wait!


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## Contrabass Bry (May 3, 2010)

I must have been too impetuous with my first tin.

It looked rather light and had almost a dusky, green cast to it. Smoked about the same.u
Pretty sure this is what scared (should I say: scarred) me way from burley...

For me, the taste was reminiscent of smoking the contents of a sealed, plastic bag of lawn clippings that had been bloating in the hot sun for a week...

More for you fellers, I guess.

Nice review, Russ.


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## gahdzila (Apr 29, 2010)

Intriguing! Sounds like a must-try!


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## JohnnyFlake (May 31, 2006)

Tilbury is a tobacco to be treasured! The biggest favor you can do for yourself, is to buy a few tins, date them, and put them away for two or three years before you start to smoke them. You will be rewarded, in spades, with an amazing aroma and flavor profile. Buy a couple of tins every year and let them rest. if you can get a few tins or more into the 8 or 10 year old age bracket, you will have a few treasures on your hands. This may seem a long time away and maybe not worthy of the investment, but 5/10 years go by very quickly. Build yourself a stash with the best tobaccos for aging and you will not be sorry. Tilbury is one of them!


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## MontyTheMooch (May 27, 2012)

Nice! I had a tin of Dunbar a while back and really liked it.


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## Zeabed (Apr 23, 2009)

In 2010 I received three tins of this blend that had already some age on them. I waited until a few weeks ago to pop one of the tins. The aging was enough to balance the blend and provide me with a "creeper" baccy (i.e., one that you like at first but that continues to grow in your esteem). Definitely, buy some for aging. Once you pop a tin it will go fast, so buy enough tins to age for some years.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

Wow, Russ, I missed this somehow, what with the weird way they do "expiring" threads. Glad you liked it and good review! I think I like Tilbury as much as any of the Esoterica offerings I've tried.


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